Between Dance and Detention: Ethical Considerations of Mesearch in Performance.

Within this chapter, I explore the notion ‘mesearch’, taking its departure from sociological investigations in autoethnography and autobiograhy. First I define ‘mesearch’ as a personalised research paradigm. Second, I consider the ethical principles of mesearch which has both inward and outward perspectives, acknowledge the self in relationality to others. This reveals the central role of inter-subjectivity in terms of ethics: valuing the experience of self and of other. Third in light of the above I defend selfhood research against critiques relating to elfabsorption, misdirected solipsism and privileged navel-gazing. Finally, underpinning the theoretical frameworks on which I build the idea of ‘mesearch’ I provide practical examples found within my own work as a performance artist.